Step 6

Being well prepared is the most important thing when it comes to making your German student visa application. By now we hope you have completed the previous steps. In case not, we suggest you revisit them or check out this page and see what you may have skipped.

Do you need a Student Visa?

Students from EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland do not need visas nor residence permits to enter Germany.

Students from the following countries do not need a student visa to stay in Germany for up to 3 months.They must however apply for a residence permit and register their addresses in Germany if they plan on staying for over 3 months.
Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea or the United States

All other students from other countries need to apply for visas.

Assemble the necessary documents

1. Application form for your Germany Student Visa

To find the appropriate visa application form for your country, visit your local embassy/consulate website and download the form. It is also important to note that certain embassies give special requirements for applicants. Find out if they do for your application.

Make sure to fill it correctly and if possible do it in duplicate as they may require it.

2. Valid passport

You will need a valid passport that must not be older than 10 years and valid upto 3 months to the intended date of return.

This can be a blocked account confirmation, a scholarship or any other allowed proof. For more details on this, see Step 4

4. Letter of Acceptance

To apply for a student visa, you need your acceptance letter from the university.
In case you intend to apply for a prospective student visa, other conditions apply.

5. Biometric passport photo

Most embassies are strict about the passport photo. The photo should not be glued on your page unless instructed to do so. Generally, it should be (3.5cm x 4.5 cm), no older than 3 months, bright background such as white and should clearly show your face and eyes. See the embassy guidelines on this.

You will also need to show your academic transcripts, your proof of language requirements if needed by the university and other academic records.

If copies of original documents are requested, make the copies but ensure that you carry the original with you to the embassy as proof of authenticity.

Book your Appointment on time!

Most applicants make the mistake of booking their visa appointment a few weeks before the time they plan on leaving or put it off to after they have received their acceptance letter. Depending on your luck and where you are, this may work out for you. However, most of the times, this is too late.

It is important to check with your university on when they plan on issuing their acceptance letters to students to help you plan your appointment. Optimally, if you made your application on time and fulfilled all requirements, you should anticipate that you will receive your acceptance at roughly around the stipulated time add or lose a few days. 

To get your visa on time, you will need to book your appointment for a about a week or two after the time you anticipate to receive your acceptance letter. In the unfortunate case you get a rejection (we honestly hope you get accepted) kindly cancel the appointment to give room for others who need it.

Since there are long waiting lists for appointments in some countries, keep checking your embassy website for waiting times and available appointments in case someone cancels theirs. Usually some cancels and you can jump in on that slot!